


The Kiss

by smiley_seulgi



Category: Red Velvet (K-pop Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/F, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-22
Updated: 2018-05-22
Packaged: 2019-05-10 08:48:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14733806
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smiley_seulgi/pseuds/smiley_seulgi
Summary: Seulgi, someone who despises romance, is forced to study Gustav Klimt's famous piece titled, "The Kiss", for one of her art classes, and chaos quickly ensues.Or:Seulrene bickering about the symbolism of a painting, causing people to call security on them





	The Kiss

Seulgi’s never really been a fan of romance. She’d choose an action movie over a rom-com any day of the week, absolutely loathes Valentine’s Day and K-Dramas with a burning passion, and cannot stand the cheesy pick-up lines her fellow classmates often utilize to ask her out. Just yesterday, a random student she’d never seen before walked up to her with a wide grin splayed out across his face in the cafeteria.

“Seulgi-ssi?” He asked, wringing his hands together nervously. Seulgi had been so engrossed in finishing the rest of her food that Seungwan had to shove her to get the girl to acknowledge him.

“What is it?” The girl questioned, slightly irritated at his intrusion. Seulgi had just come from chemistry, one of her hardest courses that semester, and she’d gotten back her test from last week to find out that she’d failed. At the very least, her mood wasn’t exactly as good as it usually was.

She shoved another handful of chips aggressively into her mouth and looked up at him curiously, wondering what he could possible want from her. “Um…,” he stammered on, causing Seulgi to raise an eyebrow.

“Look, dude, I’m trying to eat ri-”, she began saying, only to be cut off by the boy yelling, “Vogue just called, they want you on the cover!” Before Seulgi can react, he sprints off, leaving her and her friends sitting in silence, until Moonbyul smacks Seulgi on the shoulder, howling with laughter.

Seulgi felt her fist clench, crushing the rest of her lunch into pieces, knowing that the entire student body was staring at her table. There were fewer things in this world Seulgi hated more than cheesy pickup lines, even if they were extremely flattering.

The college sophomore has been this way ever since she was a child. Beginning at the age of five, she had a knack for refusing and avoiding hugs or kisses from relatives until they eventually got the hint that Seulgi wasn’t the touchy-feely type of child like the rest of her siblings.

Though her parents always reassured others this was just a phase their little girl would grow out of, Seulgi proved them wrong time and time again. Her aloof behavior towards the emotion is why Seulgi nearly walks out of the classroom when her art history professor announces each student’s assigned art study.

Professor Kim had given her The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, possibly one of the most critically acclaimed “romantic” pieces of all time, as her assigned piece for the second largest project of the semester. The girl had been hoping she would get at least one of Van Gogh’s or Picasso’s numerous works, that way she wouldn’t have to deal with anything too amorous in nature.

The Kiss was the epitome of everything Seulgi stood against. Perhaps that’s why Professor Kim assigned her Klimt, to force Seulgi into studying the blatantly romantic themes within the piece. The sophomore had been pretty blatant with her distaste for tender passion throughout the duration of the class, out speaking both her peers and her professor a few times during discussion on the matter.

“Everyone has a muse, Seulgi,” a peer of Seulgi’s mutters underneath her breath, shaking her head in disgust. Seulgi appraises the pale girl with steely eyes, ready for a challenge. “I’m not disagreeing with you, Soojung,” she quips, “I’m just saying that not everyone’s muse has to be a person. Especially not someone they’re romantically involved with.”

Just as Soojung opens her mouth to retort, Professor Kim speaks up from her podium, “That’s quite enough.” The older woman sends each of her students a pointed look, calming the bristling students into dropping their argument. Ever since that day, Seulgi swore that Professor Kim brought up romance just to gauge her reaction towards it.

Whatever, Seulgi told herself as she grits her teeth, at least I won’t have a problem with this three page minimum limit.

“What the actual fuck?” Seulgi exclaims the moment she and her best friend, Seungwan, step out of class together, unable to hold back her frustration any longer. Even in the crowded hallway of the art and architecture building, the sophomore’s dissatisfaction is loud and clear to everyone milling about.

However, Seulgi could care less about the confused college students looking over at her as she threw her hands up in the air in complete exasperation. “Why does the universe continue to prove that it’s out to get me?” Seulgi yells, running a hand through her dark brown locks.

Seungwan snorts and shakes her head, looking at the taller girl with a lopsided grin, “You know, Seulgi, usually art majors are absolutely ecstatic to be studying art.” Seulgi rolls her eyes, “I love my major, I’m just not a fan of all the romantics, that’s all. The Kiss seems like one of the biggest clichés out there for fanciful notions.”

Seulgi thrusts her phone into Seungwan’s face, Klimt’s work flashing across the screen in bright bold yellow colors. “I mean look at it,” Seulgi scoffs in disgust, “It’s gold leafed for god’s sake.” Seungwan gives the taller girl a pensive look and pushes open the heavy doors of the building’s exit. Instantly, the biting December air swirls around them.

“Art majors are supposed to be all lovey-dovey,” Seungwan replies. Her expression turns thoughtful, “In fact, I think I recall Klimt claiming that, ‘All art is erotic’, in the lessons we had about him last week.” Seulgi groans beside the shorter woman, fixing her scarf to cover half of her face to protect herself from the unrelenting cold.

“That has to be the cheesiest shit I’ve ever heard,” Seulgi complains, “Also, I hate that cliché about artists. I mean, just because I can draw well doesn’t automatically mean I can win somebody’s heart or something.”

Seungwan side-eyes the taller woman and giggles to herself, “Yeah…because your pleasant attitude sure does gets you all the girls at Seoul University, huh, Seulgi.”

 

**

 

“I still can’t fucking believe you got Van Gogh as your artist,” Seulgi mutters underneath her breath. Her and Seungwan are waiting at the bus stop closest to their apartment, on their way to Seoul National Art Museum to study their assigned art in person.

The taller woman still is fussing over the assignment, and had been doing so ever since they met up at the bus stop together. Luckily, Seungwan took the liberty of bringing along her trusty set of earbuds before she left her dorm that morning, so she doesn’t have to listen to her best friend drone on and on.

 Seulgi watches a brown, tattered maple leaf slide stubbornly slow across the street with a frown. Her hands jam themselves in the pockets of her long, black coat, trying to fend off the chill of the winter air to no avail. Her face was burning and the cold cut right through Seulgi’s jeans.

Though the taller girl absolutely adored the dropping temperatures the season brought, she’d forgotten just how icy Seoul can get in this time of year. With the severe forecasts for the week, it was surprising Seulgi has forgotten to grab herself a pair of gloves, and this soured her mood even more than before.

Seungwan scrolls on her phone, completely immune to the weather, nodding her head along to Red Flavor ecstatically to the beat of the music. Seulgi casts her a sideways look, noting the thin windbreaker the Canadian has pulled over a cream-colored cable knit sweater with a sense of awe.

It must be Seungwan’s Canadian roots that allowed her to keep her warm in such harsh conditions while Seulgi shivered in her wool overcoat. The bus pulls up next to them a moment later, sending the leaves tumbling, swirling in the air. The pair hurriedly ascend the steps into the warmth of the vehicle, Seulgi feels almost dizzy when the humidity of the bus hits her.

Salvation at last.

“Seungwan, will you please switch with me?” Seulgi asks for the thousandth time that morning, the desperation in her voice evident as Seungwan slips into the window seat, winding her earbuds up into a little coil to place in her purse. “I’m not even sure I can start this assignment before throwing up,” the art major whines.

It was true, Seulgi had in fact was so repulsed by romance that she had thrown up in the past over a particularly cheese K-Drama scene. Seungwan had been greedily shoveling popcorn into her face, elbowing Seulgi’s side. “Look, Kang!” Seungwan sang, “They’re about to kiss!” The Canadian had thought that Seulgi was expertly reenacting the sound effects of throwing up, when in fact, Seulgi had ran all the way to the bathroom with a hand clasped over her mouth.

 Seungwan grins at her friend, the taller girl was used to always getting her way, it was one of Seulgi’s many innocent quirks. “I would, but Professor Kim told me after class yesterday that if you tried to take any other student’s piece, she’d fail you.”

Seulgi’s eyes widen with fear, and she feels her confidence deflate. The one thing Seulgi treasured in this world was her spotless 4.0 GPA record she’d been maintain for the past two years. The young woman couldn’t afford to get an F, let alone a C.

Her GPA was at stake, and as much as she hated it, Seulgi knew she had no other options but to complete her project. “This might be good for you,” Seungwan continues, doing her best to boost Seulgi’s low morale, “I mean you obviously have a lot to say about the project already, that might not be a bad thing.”

“That means I’m stuck with Klimt and his romantic bullshit, right?” Seulgi asks weakly, peering down at her friend with a defeated look in her eyes. Seungwan bites back another bout of laughter at the sight of her sorrowful friend, “Yep.” Seungwan turns to stare out of the window.

“It’s just you and all the romantic bullshit today,” Seulgi hears the Canadian murmur.

 

**

 

She begs Seungwan to not leave her, but by now, Seulgi recognizes that she’s just being a baby about this project. Yet her stubborn nature doesn’t falter, and she can’t seem to allow herself to let her friend go. Her fingers are wrapped tightly around Seungwan’s straining bicep, holding her friend in place as she struggles to free herself.

“The Van Gogh exhibit is on the other side of the museum, Seulgi!” Seungwan hisses as she pries at Seulgi’s fingers, “You have to go see Klimt for yourself anyways. We’ll meet up after we’re done taking notes!”

They’re causing a little bit of a scene at this point, being two grown women struggling against each other in the middle of Seoul National Art Museum’s lobby like toddlers fighting over possession of a toy. A family of four walks by, and even the toddler is shooting them a concerned look.

Eventually, Seulgi lets go because she knows Seungwan is right. Besides, Seungwan was threatening to throw her notebook and sketchbook at her and a pair of security guards were eyeing them from across the room next to the check-in desk.

The Canadian smooths out her slightly wrinkled dress shirt before giving Seulgi’s shoulder a light, supportive squeeze. “You’ll be fine, Seulgi,” Seungwan murmurs. Seulgi pouts at her, and Seungwan pretends to roll her eyes before playfully punching her best friend.

“Look, I promise that looking at one romantic piece of art work for half an hour won’t kill you.” Seulgi grimaces, watching Seungwan’s retreating figure with a small scowl, “Easy for you to say.” The taller girl turns on her heel and follows the signs for Klimt’s display, dread pooling in her gut with each shuffle she makes towards her impending destination.

Much to her surprise, the room is empty when she walks in, seldom for one security guard standing on the far side of the room. Perhaps the emptiness could be explained by the time, Seungwan insisted that the pair arrived the moment that the museum opened.

It was nine in the morning, and Seulgi was still trying to keep her eyelids from drooping shut. Shrugging her shoulders, Seulgi wanders into the middle of the room, turning on her heel in search of The Kiss. “Aha!” The young girl whispers to herself happily. She’d spotted the large painting, on the opposite side of the room the guard was patrolling.

 The art major ambles over to the perfect square of a painting, flipping open her notebook to a blank page in case she needed to jot a couple notes down. The goal of the art assignment was to write about the emotions the artist encapsulated in the art piece that they had created, and how their work affected others, what emotions you felt while studying their piece.

When Seulgi comes face to face with The Kiss, she isn’t expecting the serene calm that comes over her at the sight of the two lovers embracing, shrouded in their golden garb. Up close and personal, Seulgi would be lying if she said she weren’t amazed at the craftsmanship of the piece.

Looking at Klimt’s work, Seulgi hardly notices the hardened walls she’d built up around her heart begin falling down. Before, Seulgi had brushed off the effect that romantic works could influence viewers, but she was beginning to have second thoughts. There was something calming about The Kiss but Seulgi couldn’t quite figure out.

Perhaps it was because the lovers were the only thing painted in detail, while their surroundings, though somewhat galactic, were bare of anything completely telling. Maybe it was the way the couple seemed so content with keeping each other company, shrouded in their own gold encrusted world. Seulgi was so engrossed with the piece that she hadn’t realized she’d been leaning in closer and closer till someone tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey.” The girl’s voice, though soft, was enough to startle her half to death, and instantly Seulgi backed away from the painting as if it scorched her. For a second, Seulgi thought that it was Seungwan who’d walked up to start teasing her for actually looking like she was enjoying The Kiss.

She angled herself to face the intruder a moment after collecting herself, “You scared the shit out of me.” The petite girl standing beside her raised an eyebrow, “I’m sorry,” she giggled, quite cutely in Seulgi’s opinion, at the vulgarity of Seulgi’s words. The sophomore finds her mouth opening and closing slowly like a fish, trying to find something, anything, to say in return.

Typically, Seulgi was a polite girl when it came to strangers, only allowing a select few to see her truthfully wild side. “I thought I’d stop you from nosing into the painting before the security guard came over,” comes the level response. The stranger is beyond ravishing, she had decided.

Seulgi briefly wonders if there’s something wrong with her, because she’s contemplating telling this girl that she belongs in a work of art. “Oh,” Seulgi says, laughing awkwardly, “Thanks.” The stranger shrugs and turns back towards the painting, “Isn’t it just breathtaking?” Seulgi watches the girl clasp her hands together, staring intently on Klimt’s painting.

Just as Seulgi was about to open her mouth to contradict the stranger’s statement, because she was finally getting a grasp on reality again, the girl whips around to look at her. With those gorgeous hazel wood eyes trained so keenly on her, Seulgi finds herself at a loss for words once more.

Should I ask her to model for my painting class final? Seulgi contemplates, biting her lip.

The stranger holds a hand out for Seulgi to shake, “My name’s Bae Joohyun, what’s yours?” Seulgi hesitantly grasps Joohyun’s hand, and pretends not to be in awe of how smooth and soft the girl’s skin is, “Kang Seulgi.” At first, was kind of annoying Seulgi that Joohyun had interrupted her private excursion, but the more she lapsed into Joohyun’s ethereal presence, the more she found herself enjoying spending their time together.

“This is one of my favorite paintings in the world,” Joohyun admits, “Just look at them.” Immediately, Seulgi does what she’s told, entranced by the softness in Joohyun’s voice. The shorter girl points up at the couple, “The grounded gold around them makes it look as if they’re getting lost in each other, disregarding space and time.”

It’s the absolute adoration in Joohyun’s voice that’s making Seulgi’s heart melt, Seulgi decides. Not Klimt’s painting, and definitely not because she was hanging onto every wise word the girl spoke. “That’s so…,” Seulgi trails off when she feels her phone buzz in her back pocket.

She pauses, reading Seungwan’s sassy text, and she feels her annoyance rekindle. Her best friend had left the museum without her, leaving her stranded with Klimt and this strange yet beautiful girl named Joohyun. She can feel the other girl’s curious gaze on her as she types back a hasty message, and she knows that Joohyun is eagerly waiting for her response. She tucks her phone back into her pocket before frowning slightly at the painting.

“Lame,” Seulgi sniffs. Joohyun’s small smile was immediately replaced as she furrowed her eyebrows together, “Wait…what?” Seulgi can almost feel Joohyun’s blood pressure rising, her cheeks were blushing profusely. Though she thought the sight was adorable, Seulgi managed to keep hold of her poker face. She tilted her head to the side and grinned, “You heard me.”

Ticking people off was one of Seulgi’s specialties, other than being talented with a paintbrush, and she knew exactly how to push this girl’s buttons. “Just a moment ago you were about to run smack into The Kiss and now you’re telling me you don’t even like it?” Joohyun continues, amazed at Seulgi’s 360 response. Seulgi merely shrugs with disinterest.

A moment later, she breaks out her ballpoint pen and begins jotting down a few notes into her notebook for reference. She feels the warmth of Joohyun’s breath fanning the side of her neck as she writes words such as “overrated” and “unrealistic” one the first couple lines of the page. “Are you shitting me right now, Seulgi?” Joohyun blurts out, her silky voice ringing loud and clear in Seulgi’s ear.

The shorter girl leans against Seulgi’s arm, taking in every insult Seulgi’s writing, her frown still evident across her pretty features. Seulgi stifles the smirk that’s threatening to spread across her mouth, choosing instead to begin writing about how salty she was about being assigned to The Kiss all together.

“I know you didn’t just write that you don’t believe in romance,” Joohyun scoffs, “That’s complete bullshit, you do.” Seulgi turns to the shorter girl with a smug look on her face, “Is that so?”

She was sure she had the other girl pegged, just like how she had the rest of the world. However, Joohyun simply nods her head triumphantly in response, and Seulgi watches with awe as the girl’s pretty pink lips pull back in her dazzling smile once more.

“What makes you say that?” Seulgi questions as evenly as she can, tilting her head down in order to scribble a few more notes. The taller girl was doing her best to seem as disinterested in Joohyun and The Kiss as much as possible, though she felt herself wavering with her resolve to do so.

She feels rather than sees Joohyun’s hand reach out to tuck the stray hairs of Seulgi’s ponytail behind her ear, senses the shrinking proximity between them as Joohyun leans closer to her. Instantly, Seulgi’s cheeks begin to flush, her body temperature rising at the girl’s sudden movements. 

Joohyun hums contently in response to the other girl’s obvious shock. She lets her slender fingers linger through Seulgi’s hair, caressing the smooth strands for just a beat longer than what would be considered normal between complete strangers.

Meanwhile, Seulgi remained completely stoic, staring ahead at The Kiss with her pen poised in mid-air above her notebook, as if transfixed.

“If you don’t believe in love,” Joohyun whispers into her ear in a low tone that makes Seulgi swallow harder than usual, “then why are you blushing right now?”

 

**

 

Seulgi can’t remember exactly when they began shouting at each other over the symbolism of The Kiss, but clarity only comes to her when she sees the security guard powerwalking up to them from behind Joohyun’s shoulder. “Oh, come on, Joohyun,” she had been screaming, “As if you’ve ever had a kiss that’s made you feel like you were ‘soaring through the cosmos’!”

She certainly hadn’t been looking for actual trouble, but she’d underestimated Joohyun’s love for Klimt’s work by a longshot. “Well maybe I have but I can’t say the same for you!” Joohyun replied with just as much abandon as Seulgi, her voice rising to meet the taller girl’s volume.

At this rate, they were both going to get kicked out of the museum and banned for life, and Seulgi wasn’t about to let that happen. “Admit it!” Joohyun shouts, unaware that Seulgi had given up the argument and was trying her best to silence her.

Her voice echoed throughout the room and the security guard’s solemn expression turns even angrier at the outburst. Seulgi felt fear beginning to coil up in the pit of her stomach. Joohyun swats away Seulgi’s reaching hands from covering up her mouth with a deep frown, fighting to keep yelling out her comments.

“The Kiss demonstrates one of the best characteristics of love there is: getting lost in each other!” Seugli is only half listening because the security guard has stopped a few feet away and was talking lowly into his walkie-talkie while glaring at them.

 “Joohyun,” she hisses desperately, tugging at the older girl’s sleeve, “Can you please be quiet!” But there’s a fury in the shorter girl’s eyes that can’t be tamed, and Joohyun wriggles free from Seulgi’s tight grasp in an instant. “Look at the way they’re kneeling in the grass,” the shorter girl continues, dodging Seulgi again and brandishing a finger wildly in the direction of the gilded piece.

Seulgi’s face has turned red from chasing Joohyun around Klimt’s display, and she’s breathing heavily from her efforts to catch and silence the shorter girl. Joohyun, on the other hand, seems perfectly fine, and continues babbling on about the artwork in front of them.

“That combined with how they’re embracing each other…it’s almost like they’re paying homage to each other!” Holy shit, Seulgi thought exasperatedly to herself, she does have a point. Seulgi shakes her head, as if to clear the dreamy thoughts away and scowls, when will she shut up?

Joohyun’s voice slowly faded into the background when Seulgi saw the flood of security guards rushing through the doors of the Klimt exhibit, joining forces with the lone guard who’d called them in the first place.

Seulgi felt her heart sink in her chest, standing completely still while Joohyun, unaware of their impending doom, was circling her with her mouth opening and closing rapidly with words left on Seulgi’s deaf ears.

We’re going to get our asses handed to us by these security guards, the taller girl thought to herself as the first guard began advancing.

Seulgi isn’t sure exactly what possessed her to kiss Joohyun, but it probably had to do with her wild idea that it might shock the guards enough to let them go or at the very least, make the girl stop talking. She grasps at the shorter girl’s slender shoulders to halt her motions and promptly leaned in.

One hand cupped gently underneath Joohyun’s chin to draw her lips closer, the other sliding slowly down the column of Joohyun’s throat as Seulgi let her lips claim Joohyun’s softly. Instantly, Joohyun’s aggressiveness vanished, and Seulgi felt the girl’s tension in her shoulders relax.

Well, that’s one way to get someone to shut up, Seugli thought to herself briefly before deepening the kiss between them, Shit, what if this actually might make her angrier, though? Better make it last while I can.

“Oh my god~!” She hears one of the security guards squeal with excitement, “Look, unnie! They’re reenacting The Kiss!” Seulgi pulls away from Joohyun, who had remained completely motionless beneath her, and wills herself to crack an eye open.

There’s the sound of a hard smack from across the room, and the gruff voice of another security guard pipes up.

“Yeri, please focus on the task at hand. We’re supposed to be escorting these ladies out, not fangirling.” There’s a soft sniffle, presumably from Yeri, who whimpers, “Yes, Sooyoung-unnie.”

Ignoring the guards, Seulgi finally takes a look at the girl in front of her, she’s shocked at what she finds.

Joohyun’s eyes were screwed shut, yet her expression was one of complete bliss. Her full lips were parted slightly in such an inviting way that Seulgi found herself slowly leaning back into the ethereal girl’s vicinity.

As Seulgi comes closer, she notices pink dusted lightly across Joohyun’s cheeks and smiles to herself, knowing she was the one responsible for the beautiful girl’s blush. She lets the hand that had been gently ghosting underneath Irene’s jaw trace over the curve of Joohyun’s cupid’s bow, and that’s when the other girl’s eyes finally snap open.

The look lingering in Joohyun’s darkening eyes had nothing to do with anger, much to Seulgi’s relief. Her gaze had softened and the shorter girl was peering up at Seulgi with half-lidded eyes that spoke volumes about longing. The shorter girl finally moved after a beat of silence between them.

She encircled her slender arms around Seulgi’s neck tightly, her eyes locked onto Seulgi’s mouth, spurring the taller girl further into pressing their lips together again. Just as their lips brushed against each other’s for the second time, the sound of an awkward cough from one of the security guards interrupted them.

“Sorry,” a guard steps forward, a young woman with short blonde hair, who’s wearing an overly apologetic look on her face. She opens her mouth to continue when she’s cut off by a taller woman, who silences her with a single outstretched hand.

“We’re going to need you ask you to leave,” the woman says, flicking her long black locks over her shoulder. She’s clearly the head of the unit, with her powerful aura and distinctively different uniform. The woman shoots her and Joohyun such a cold look, a shiver runs through each of them.

Embarrassment flushes across Joohyun’s features, and she quickly slips a hand into the crook of Seulgi’s arm as they both bow their apologies. “We’ll be going now,” Seulgi stammers as she straightens her back, wincing at the intimidating security guard.

The taller girl gently leads them out of the room with a nervous smile flashed in the direction of the frowning woman of authority. When the pair exits out of the room, the tall security guard’s grave expression evaporates into a wide smile. She playfully pokes at the blonde guard, “See what I did there, Yeri?”

Yeri grins back at her, pushing the girl’s finger away, “You did a fantastic job, unnie.” Sooyoung blushes as the two share a knowing look before she quickly gives the order for the other guards to return to their posts.

Sooyoung opens her mouth to say something else, but closes it after a second, opting to relish in the quiet of the room and study The Kiss with Yeri for a little bit longer.

When the taller woman is certain they’re the only two left in the room, she shyly reaches for Yeri’s hand. “I love you,” she whispers, and Yeri gives her a small smile in return.

The shorter woman squeezes her girlfriend’s hand gently before she says, “I know you do.”

 

**

 

When Seulgi and Joohyun burst out the front doors of the building, it’s nearly noon and the taller girl’s stomach is angrily grumbling at her for not having anything to eat since she’d woken up.

She tries not to think about how it might just be Joohyun’s hand in hers that’s making her stomach behave in such a way, but it’s hard to deny the feeling of butterflies accompanying her stomach’s loud protests.

“So,” she says, trying to fill in the awkward silence that’s surrounded them. She slowly let go of Joohyun’s hand as they amble into the parking lot, suddenly unsure how to act around the other girl or what to do next.

Her stomach rudely interrupts her next sentence, sending Joohyun into a fit of laughter and making Seulgi blush next to her. “Do you want to go eat?” Joohyun asks after she’s finally able to stop giggling, and Seulgi nods her head furiously.

She’d do anything to have Joohyun stick around for a few more minutes. “Okay,” Joohyun agrees, “Before we go, I just want to know one more thing.” With that, the shorter girl abruptly pulls Seulgi closer by the collar of her coat, and Seulgi instantly melts with Joohyun’s smoldering kiss.

Instantly, Seulgi loses herself in the shorter girl’s languid movements, completely disregarding the fact that Joohyun was kissing her in the middle of a public parking lot, of all places. Her fingers tangle in Joohyun’s silky hair, and her heart threatens to beat harder and harder out of her chest with each passing second Joohyun kisses her.

When Joohyun pulls away, Seulgi’s blush has spread down to her neck like wildfire, and she’s breathing heavily, left wanting more. She searches for something in Seulgi’s eyes. “There,” she whispers, pressing her forehead against Seulgi’s. “Did you feel it?”

Seulgi’s breathless again, her chest rising up and down more heavily than usual. Her brows furrow together in confusion, “Wait, what?” Joohyun smirks and waggles a playful finger at her, “That’s the kind of emotion The Kiss encompasses, and we both know it.” Seulgi’s blush returns as quickly as it’d left at the mention of their kiss, and she’s left fumbling with her hands.

“Aish…what were you even doing at the museum today, you weirdo?” Joohyun feigns a hurt look before giggling again, sending another batch of butterflies free in Seulgi’s stomach. “I had a feeling you wouldn’t recognize me,” Joohyun murmurs, snickering to herself.

Seulgi merely shoots her another confused look as they walk arm in arm together. “We’re in the same art class, Seulgi,” Joohyun sighs. She ignores the taller girl’s shocked expression, tugging Seulgi along towards the bus stop outside the museum.

“In fact, I’m the one who suggested that Professor Kim gave you The Kiss,” Joohyun says triumphantly. “You were absent the day we were all supposed to submit our preferences for the project and I might’ve let it slip that we should give you The Kiss. I thought it’d be hilarious.”

Seulgi’s mouth drops even further in surprise at the shorter girl’s confession. “Hang on, we go to the same college?” The girl asks, bewildered. Joohyun simply nods in response, settling down on the bus stop’s bench.

“We have a class together?” Seulgi asks, too shocked to sit until Joohyun gently guides her into the seat next to her. Joohyun rolls her eyes, “Yes, Seulgi...you sat right next to me last week.”

Joohyun patiently waits for Seulgi’s thoughts to catch up with themselves by watching the cars pass by, swiveling her head for any sight of the bus. “So like…,” Seulgi starts, “How come I’ve never seen you before, then? I feel like I would’ve remembered someone as beautiful as you sitting near me.”

Joohyun shrugs her shoulders, a fond smile tugging at her lips. “You’re always pretty focused on your work, Seulgi,” she laughs, “One time I accidentally dropped my books in front of you in the hallway and though you stopped to help me, you didn’t even look me in the eye.”

Seulgi bites her lip, embarrassed at the fact that she had no idea she and Joohyun had been around each other this entire time. “Wow…,” she mutters to herself. She climbs onto the bus with Joohyun’s fingers intertwined with her own in what she must think is a dream.

Joohyun slips easily into a window seat and leads Seulgi into the seat beside her. The taller girl watches Joohyun instead of the scenes of Seoul passing by them, thinking that she should try and recreate the image later in her painting class.

“I do think I get it,” Seulgi whispers to herself, mesmerized by the raven-haired girl. She quickly flips to a new page in her notebook and begins to write furiously, throwing a glance at Joohyun every now and again.

This time, if someone were to read it, her notes depict a love-struck girl who finally understands the meaning behind The Kiss. “What’s this?” Joohyun murmurs with a coy smile, nudging Seulgi’s notebook with her finger. There’s a knowing look on Joohyun’s face when Seulgi looks up after trying to hide her notes from the other girl.

“I…I think I finally k-know why love is such a powerful theme within artistry,” Seulgi stammers. Joohyun tilts her head to the side cutely, “Yeah?” She asks softly, running a hand over Seulgi’s cheek. The taller girl nods wordlessly, enraptured by the girl before her as Joohyun leans closer.

“Prove it then,” Joohyun challenges, her eyes glittering with mischief. And Seulgi surges forward, pressing her lips against Joohyun’s, tasting the tip of heaven on her tongue as she does so. 

After a moment, Seulgi wills herself to end the kiss, seeing as they are on public transit and she doesn’t want too many people to be staring at them. She leans back and revels in the way Joohyun tasted and how she looked with her hair mussed to the side, leaning against the window with her mouth still parted slightly.

Joohyun looks surprised, yet she recovers after a second and shrugs before she looks out the window again with a soft smile. The shorter girl links their fingers together one more and runs her thumb gently over the back of Seulgi’s hand.

“I think you’ve learned your lesson very well,” Joohyun whispers.


End file.
